Folding house

ABSTRACT

There is no device or structure in existence today that has such folding mechanism of the walls and the roof fitted in the manner described in this document. This is a novel device and given the conditions we have faced recently, the practical need of such easily transportable and easily manufactured living structure is acute.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

There have been no other related applications.

BACKGROUND

A few years ago a Tsunami hit the islands in Southeast Asia. Hundreds ofthousands of people died as a result of that disaster. Thousands moredied in the aftermath of the disaster where people had to live ininhospitable conditions and substandard housing.

When hurricane Katrina hit the south east region of the United States ofAmerica, the relief agencies were not prepared to deal with theaftermath of that natural disaster as well. This disaster also showed usthat housing is a major part of dealing with natural disasters. If thereis inadequate housing it multiplies the problem many folds. Thegovernment and local agencies came up with the trailer homes as asolution. The trailer homes were too expensive and could not reach theplaces were they were needed. Such trailer homes sat at the tarmac whilepeople lived in football stadiums and in tents.

When an earthquake hit Pakistan and India and thousands of homes weredestroyed, the need for adequate emergency housing became even moreevident. The affected people in remote areas could not get help on time.Some people did not get any help at all. The relief agencies were onceagain inadequately equipped. The people were made to live in tents whichdid not provide any shelter from the cold and the rains.

After seeing such disasters and the conditions created by suchdisasters, I have come up with a solution for emergency housing that isto be economical, easily transportable, easily manufactured, and whichis to provide shelter in all kinds of weather. This invention is calledthe Folding House. It is a combination of several simple machines henceit falls in the category of a Utility Patent. Previously, there is nosuch invention in the market that operates on such principles. I haveseen sheds in the supermarket or at the Home Depot but all of them areroomy and previously manufactured and they do not fold unto themselves.They are not easily transportable to remote areas and they are tooexpensive. My Folding House will provide an advancement in technology,alleviate the problem in housing and it can easily be used to providedisaster relief assistance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFICATION OF THE DRAWINGS

Attached diagrams 1 through 7 are not drawn to scale.

Diagram 1: View from the front of the House of the folding Mechanism ofthe side walls.

Diagram 2: View from one side of the connection of the side wall and thefront wall.

Diagram 3: Cross-sectional view of the slip-on connector of the fourwalls.

Diagram 4: Full frontal view of the folding mechanism of the four walls.

Diagram 5: A View from below i.e. looking up, of the roof panels thatfit on top of the walls and a view from the front of the structure ofthe roof panels as they fit on top of the four walls.

Diagram 6: A view of the connection of the poles that support the roofpanels and secure the roof panels to the base of the structure.

Diagram 7: Cross-sectional view of the water proofing guard that sits ontop of the roof where the roof panels are joined together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

The invention is called the Folding House. The entire structure of thehouse is built with light weight material such that the weight of thestructure is as light as possible for ease of transport. All four wallsof the house fold on to themselves with the help of hinges as shown inthe diagram. The side, front and the back walls of this House fold untothemselves with the help of hinges similar to the ones affixed to anydoor. These hinges run along the entire base of the four wallsindividually. The folding mechanism is described in detail in theattached drawings. (Diagram 1 and Diagram 4.) The walls are theninterconnected with a slip-on bracket that is either made out ofhardened plastic or a material similar to steel. I prefer hardenedplastic as it does not get hot in warmer climates and does not get coldin colder climates. (Diagram 2 and Diagram 3.) The roof is then fittedon top of the four walls as shown in the diagram (Diagram 5) andtethered to the floor with the help of metallic rods that have fittedends at the floor and at the ceiling as indicated in the diagram. Theroof is made in two separate sections and each section is tethered toeach other at the top. Three bolt/rod interconnections run through themiddle of the roof such that the bolts tie the panels of the rooftogether and the rods directly under the bolts, in a T-formation, holdthe weight of the roof and tie the roof to the floor. See diagram 5 anddiagram 6 for detail. Once the panels are tethered to each other and thebolts are fully screwed in, the waterproofing guard is fitted on top ofthe roof as described in diagram 5 and diagram 7. There are three morerods attached to the roof and the floor as described in diagram 5 anddiagram 6. These metallic rods serve three purposes; one they tie theroof to the floor, second, they hold the weight of the roof ontothemselves, third, they stop the roof from flying off in windyconditions.

1. I claim that the idea of folding walls that are interconnected in themanner described in this document is mine and any device built with theprinciple such as described in this document will be an infringementupon my intellectual property rights.
 2. I claim the idea of atransportable and fitted roof as described in this document is mine andany device built with a similar mechanism will be an infringement uponmy intellectual property rights.
 3. I claim the idea of the roof joinedto the floor via posts made out of steel or iron or any other materialin the fashion described in this document is mine and any device builtwith such principles will be an infringement upon my intellectualproperty rights.